Board game apparatus

ABSTRACT

Game apparatus for use by two or four game players including a game board having a network of game stations bearing different colors, and a movement sequence indicator for randomly indicating the sequence of movement of playing pieces from a game station bearing one color to a station bearing another color. The movement sequence indicator consists of an opaque hollow chamber which communicates with a transparent elongated column, and a plurality of colored balls are loosely disposed within the chamber for movement into the transparent column. The balls in the indicator are colored similarly to the stations so that the sequence of balls in the transparent column designates the sequence of movement of playing pieces on the board. The object of the game is to move a playing piece from a designated starting position on one side of the board to a designated goal position on the other side of the board.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Norman McFarland Urbana, ll]. [21] Appl. No. 797,526 [22) Filed Feb. 7,1969 [45] Patented June 29, 1971 [73] Assignee Marvin Glass & Associates Chicago. Ill.

[54] BOARD GAME APPARATUS 2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.Cl 273/134, 273/187, 273/144 {51] Int. Cl A63f 3/02 [50] Field ofSearch 273/131, 134, 144

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,674,866 6/1928 Klein 273/134 1,876,128 9/1932 Almada... 273/134 X 2,665,915 1/1954 Steig 273/144 Primary ExaminerDelbert B. Lowe Attorney-James F. Coffee ABSTRACT: Game apparatus for use by two or four game players including a game board having a network of game stations bearing different colors, and a movement sequence indicator for randomly indicating the sequence of movement of playing pieces from a game station bearing one color to a station bearing another color. The movement sequence indicator consists of an opaque hollow chamber which communicates with a transparent elongated column, and a plurality of colored balls are loosely disposed within the chamber for movement into the transparent column. The balls in the indicator are colored similarly to the stations so that the sequence of balls in the transparent column designates the sequence of movement of playing pieces on the board. The object of the game is to move a playing piece from a designated starting position on one side of the board to a designated goal position on the other side of the board.

BOARD GAME APPARATUS This invention relates in general to games. In particular, this invention relates to board games having a plurality of game spaces and wherein playing pieces are progressively moved along a network of game spaces toward a goal.

Board games such as checkers and the like are well known in the prior art. These games primarily involve strategy and forethought on the part of the game players as the played pieces are progressively moved across the playing surface to a goal.

The board game of the invention interjects a substantial element of chance into the play of the game by providing means which limit movement of the game playing pieces to a particular random sequence. By interjecting the element of chance into the play of the game, its entertainment and amusement value is greatly enhanced and opposing game players may participate on a more equal footing.

Accordingly, the game apparatus of the invention comprises a game board having a playing surface bearing a network of game spaces or stations, bearing randomly disposed indicia. A chance device is provided for indicating a restricted sequence of movement of the playing pieces in accordance with indicia displayed by the device which is correlated to the game station indici'a.

The primary object of this invention is to provide game apparatus wherein the sequence of movement of the playing pieces from one game space to another is determined by a chance device.

Another object of this invention is to provide a sequence indicating chance device for use with game apparatus for enhancing its entertainment and amusement value.

Additional objects of this invention will become apparent to those versed in the game art upon an understanding of the following detailed description of the game apparatus taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which a preferred embodiment of the apparatus is shown, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the game apparatus of the invention; 7

FIG. 2 is an elevational cross-sectional view of a playing piece for use with the game apparatus; and

FIG. 3 is an elevational crosssectional view of the movement sequence indicator of the game apparatus.

Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, the game apparatus of the invention comprises a generally square, imperforate game board I0, having a playing surfacel2 bearing a network 14 of circular game spaces or stations. The network includes two groups of game stations having color indicia for differentiating one group from the other. Namely, one group of game stations 16 bears a color indicia such as white, while another group of stations 18 bears a second color indicia such as black.

The two groups of game stations are preferably randomly but generally evenly interspersed on the playing surface and are aligned in an equal number of vertical columns and horizontal rows. In the illustrated embodiment, the network of game stations comprises 1 1 columns and l 1 rows, although a greater or lesser number of columns and rows may be utilized, which will proportionately increase or decrease the complexity of the game. Each game station is connected to its adjacent game station by straight lines 20 which indicate the permissive paths of movement ofa number of playing pieces 21 from one game station to another. Thus, the playing pieces are restricted to movement in only horizontal and vertical directions, and may not be moved diagonally across the playing surface.

Several game symbols are provided in a number of game stations on the four borders of the network. In particular, a middle game station 24 along each border carries a double-dot symbol 26. Game stations 24 are utilized as starting positions for one playing piece of each game player. and also serve as goals for the playing pieces of each opposing game player.

A second game symbol comprising a single dot 30 appears twice along each border of the playing surface. Dot symbols 30 are disposed in game stations 28, equally spaced from double dot symbols 26, and denote the starting positions of two additional playing pieces of each game player.

Referring now to FIG. 2, in addition to FIG. 1, three playing pieces 21 are provided for each game player. The playing pieces preferably bear identifying colors so that each of the three playing pieces of each game player is similarly colored to enable ready identification of a players pieces during the course of the game. Alternatively, the playing pieces of each team of players may be identically colored and the playing pieces of individual players may be identified by different shapes.

Each playing piece is frustoconically shaped and is supported at the large diameter end 42 which forms a stable base. A vertical, blind bore 44 is provided through the top of the playing piece for selectively receiving a pin 46, carrying a bulbous crown 48. During play of the game, pin 46 may be inserted into bore 44 of the playing piece for displaying the crown 48 to the other game players thus indicating that the particular playing piece has been crowned and has thereby achieved a particular elevated status in accordance with the rules ofplay.

Turning now to FIG. 3, a movement sequence indicator 50, in the form of a chance device, is provided for indicating the movement sequence of a playing piece 21 as it progresses across the game board from one game station to another. The movement sequence indicator comprises a spherical shell 51 forming an enlarged hollow chamber 52. Shell 51 may be fabricated of opaque material to prevent the game players from observing the order of its contents. An elongated tubular column or neck 54 is secured to shell 51 at 56 and communicates at 58 with the hollow chamber. The column is fabricated of transparent material which allows the game players to view its contents.

A number of balls 60 and 61 are loosely disposed in chamber 52. The balls comprise two groups of five balls each which may be differentiated from each other by the colors black and white to thereby correlate the colors of the balls to the color indicia of the game stations. Balls 6061 have a diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of column 54 to enable them to be aligned contiguously thereby randomly defining an order ofcolors which may be read in ascending order, such as white, black, white, white, and black, as seen in FIG. 3. v

The internal length of column 54 is equal approximately to five times the diameter of the balls, thus allowing only five balls to occupy the column at one time. The lower end of column 54 is secured to a base 64 to enable the movement sequence indicator 50 to be oriented with the column vertical and the chamber 52 disposed thereabove. During play of the game, the movement sequence indicator is inverted and shaken by a game player. Upon being returned to its base, it randomly indicates the sequence of five consecutive moves of a playing piece from one game area to another.

In accordance with the play of the game, each of two game players places his three playing pieces on the three game areas 28, 26 and 28 disposed along opposite borders of the playing surface. These are the starting positions for the playing pieces. The game players alternately invert and shake the movement sequence indicator 50, and return it to its upright position on base 64 thereby forming a random order of black and white balls 60-61 which may be observed through the transparent column. Reading the ball colors in ascending order, the game player is allowed to move any one of his playing pieces five moves in the indicated order on the black and white game stations. As noted above, only back and forth and side-to-side movement is permitted. During a single playing turn a playing piece may occupy the same playing area repeatedly.

A game player may remove an opponents playing piece from the board, when the player's playing piece occupies the same playing station as the opponent's piece, on the fifth move of a playing turn. The capturing playing piece achieves an elevated status which is indicated by its being crowned by placement of pin 46 in bore 44, thereby displaying the crown 48.

The objective of the game is to be the first player to move a crowned playing piece to a goal position 24 at the opposite side of the playing surface, on the fifth move ofa playing turn.

While the game apparatus has been described for use by two game players, it may also be used simultaneously by four game players by following similar rules of play. The four game players may be divided into two teams and members of opposite teams occupy opposite sides of the game board. When played with four game players, the playing pieces of one pair of opposing players progress in generally parallel directions and the playing pieces of the other pair of opposing players progress in a direction generally perpendicular to the playing pieces of the first pair of opposing game players.

What has been described is a game apparatus comprising a game board having a network of game stations exhibiting at least two different game station indicia and a move sequence indicator having indicia correlated to the game station indicia for restricting movement of the playing pieces to a particular random sequence.

It is obvious that upon study by those skilled in the art, the disclosed invention may be altered or modified without departing from its inventive concept.

-What] claim is:

1. Game apparatus comprising a playing board marked off to define stations arranged in sequence on the board for the movement of playing pieces therealong, said stations each bearing one of at least two different colors and certain of said stations having markings indicating starting positions for the playing pieces, a plurality of playing pieces, and chance means for designating movement of the playing pieces comprising a generally hollow opaque chamber having communication with a transparent elongated column and including a loose collection of a plurality of balls, each ball being of a color identical with one of the colors on said stations, and said chance means having said column portion constructed so that a plurality of balls can pass from said opaque chamber to said transparent column, so that the order of the colored balls visible in said column determines the sequence of movements available for one of said playing pieces in traversing the colored stations on the board.

2. Game apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said playing pieces each include a recess at the upper end thereof, and a separable element which includes means insertable into said recess to thereby support said element on a playing piece. 

1. Game apparatus comprising a playing board marked off to define stations arranged in sequence on the board for the movement of playing pieces therealong, said stations each bearing one of at least two different colors and certain of said stations having markings indicating starting positions for the playing pieces, a plurality of playing pieces, and chance means for designating movement of the playing pieces comprising a generally hollow opaque chamber having communication with a transparent elongated column and including a loose collection of a plurality of balls, each ball being of a color identical with one of the colors on said stations, and said chance means having said column portion constructed so that a plurality of balls can pass from said opaque chamber to said transparent column, so that the order of the colored balls visible in said column determines the sequence of movements available for one of said playing pieces in traversing the colored stations on the board.
 2. Game apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said playing pieces each include a recess at the upper end thereof, aNd a separable element which includes means insertable into said recess to thereby support said element on a playing piece. 